Bookbinding, Book Arts, Zentangle, and Other Random Thoughts

Archive for the category “11th Century Japanese Binding”

Lovely “French Country” paper by Graphic 45 covers this journal that is bound with an interesting and ancient Japanese binding stitch. Called “The Butterfly” or “Yamato Toji” or a “Double span-span span-span” stitch, it was developed in Japan in the 11-12th century. We’ll use Czech glass beads, and Irish waxed linen to bind this 4 ½ x 6″, 5 section journal and we’ll add a little bronze sunflower charm to the sewing. There are 60 unlined, goldenrod colored pages in the text block. Using an ancient Japanese binding for a French themed paper may seem to be a bad match. It works because this binding does not call attention to itself, allowing the beauty of the paper, bead and waxed linen to really shine. This is a gorgeous journal; one that you will treasure.

My Thursday at Stampaway was busy! This was my second workshop, and one of the most popular that I taught. It is a lovely binding!

Lovely “Birdsong” paper by Graphic 45 covers this journal that is bound with an interesting and ancient Japanese binding. We used Czech glass beads and Irish waxed linen to bind this 4 1/2” x 6”, 5 section journal.

This 11th century Japanese binding is also called a double span-span, span-span sewing. In bookbinding, the term “span” refers to a sewing where the thread climbs directly into the station or section above without linking into the section below (as in the Coptic stitch, for example). Usually this sewing is not used for a book with a hard cover. Using a hard cover for our books and adding beads and trim to the book made our journals a contemporary interpretation of an ancient binding. Because this sewing is a “span” sewing, there is a little “wobble” in the finished book. Think of this as part of it’s charm. This is actually a very tight, sturdy sewing and I love the beauty of it’s simplicity.